Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada

Name

Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada

Legal name

Co-operative Development Foundation of Canada

Website

https://cdfcanada.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development and Cooperative Enterprise Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Community Food Services (624210), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee Camp Coordination & Management (CCCM) (BPADAHAC), Community Development Credit Unions (CDCUs) (FSABAEAC)

Keywords

• Cooperative development
• International development
• Community development
• Cooperative enterprises
• Development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CDF Canada is a nationally registered Canadian charity that supports international development by strengthening co-operatives and credit unions. The organization deploys the Integrated Co-operative Model (ICM) to deliver programs in food security, finance and education, gender equity, climate action, and recovery/resilience (notably Ukraine), partnering with credit unions, foundations, and local NGOs to build self-reliant co-operative enterprises in developing regions.

Product overview

CDF Canada is a non-profit cooperative development organization that operates as a single, unified charitable foundation rather than a platform with modular products. The organization focuses on international development through cooperative models, offering programs and projects in areas including Food Security, Finance and Education, Gender Equity, Climate Action, and Recovery & Resilience (particularly for Ukraine). Rather than technology products, CDF Canada provides development programs, mentorship initiatives (such as the Women's Mentorship Program), and collaborative projects with international partners to foster cooperative enterprises and economic inclusion globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women's Mentorship Program: A mentorship initiative focused on women's leadership development.
• Co-operative Climate Action Plan (CAP)
• SEW Ukraine

Products and services

• Women's Mentorship Program A mentorship initiative that develops women's leadership within co-operatives and credit unions, supporting mentees and host organizations to advance gender equity in the cooperative movement.
• VOICE for Women and Girls A program advancing the voice, leadership, and economic empowerment of women and girls through cooperative development approaches.
• IAAM – Integrating Aquaculture-Agriculture to Combat Food Insecurity A food security project that integrates aquaculture and agriculture to address food insecurity in target communities through cooperative models.
• SEW Ukraine Supporting Economic Prosperity for Women and Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine; a recovery and resilience program addressing the economic needs of women and displaced persons in Ukraine.
• 4R Nutrient Stewardship A climate-smart agriculture program applying 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices to support smallholder farmers and agricultural co-operatives.
• Co-operative Climate Action Plan (CAP) A climate action initiative supporting cooperatives in addressing climate change through cooperative-led mitigation and adaptation strategies.
• Global Learn and Share Program A knowledge-exchange and peer-learning program connecting cooperative leaders globally to share best practices in cooperative development.

Quantifiable outcome

• ANE has impacted over 4.8 million people since its founding in 2012 through shelter, livelihoods, energy, food systems, and environmental protection programs

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DID (Desjardins)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025New Pan-Canadian Alliance announced between CDF Canada and DID (Desjardins). Canadian Co-operatives Leading Together initiative.
• Solid State Community SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2025BC-based organization building worker-owned co-operatives led by racialized migrant and refugee communities. CDF Canada and Solid State will work together to promote inclusive co-operative development in Canada and abroad, focusing on knowledge sharing, community-led models, and peer-to-peer learning. Solid State supports over two dozen active worker co-operatives.
• African Agribusiness Incubators Network (AAIN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2025Pan-African platform supporting agribusiness incubation. Partnership to advance job creation and food system transformation across Africa.
• Community Agribusiness Partners (CAP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2025Network of locally rooted organizations working across East Africa to build sustainable, farmer-led agribusinesses. CDF Canada and CAP will collaborate to support the formation, governance, and management of farmer co-operatives and community banking groups, with focus on climate-smart agriculture and value chain integration.
• Action for the Needy in Ethiopia (ANE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2025Leading humanitarian and development organization working to improve lives of displaced and vulnerable populations across Ethiopia and the broader Horn of Africa. Since founding in 2012, ANE has impacted over 4.8 million people through shelter, livelihoods, energy, food systems, and environmental protection. Partnership focuses on co-operative development, environmental sustainability, and food security.
• University of SaskatchewancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2022MOU signed to develop climate-smart co-operative projects. Aligns with CDF's mission of partnering with communities for sustainable economic and social development and USask's Communities and Sustainability research signature area. Collaborations already underway with researchers in the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition.
• Access Credit UnionminorOthersListed as a corporate supporter
• Affinity Federal Credit UnionminorOthersListed as a corporate supporter
• Arctic Co-opminorOthersListed as a corporate supporter
• Atlantic CentralminorOthersListed as a corporate supporter
• Co-operatorsminorOthersListed as a corporate supporter
• Concentra FinancialminorOthersListed as a corporate supporter
• Servus Credit UnionminorOthersListed as a corporate supporter
• Vancity Community FoundationminorOthersListed as a corporate supporter

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association): Indian trade union and cooperative movement organizing self-employed women workers into producer co-operatives and financial institutions. Highly relevant for CDF Canada's gender-equity and women's co-operative leadership work, particularly as a model and thought partner for the Women's Mentorship Program and VOICE for Women and Girls.
• Grameen Bank: Pioneer microfinance/cooperative-style institution focused on financial inclusion and women's economic empowerment in Bangladesh and globally. Overlaps with CDF Canada on community banking, women's economic empowerment, and cooperative finance, serving as a comparable model for the financial inclusion side of CDF's work.

Broad incumbents

• Desjardins Group: Largest Canadian co-operative financial group and a newly announced Pan-Canadian Alliance partner of CDF Canada. While primarily a financial services incumbent, Desjardins also runs international solidarity and development initiatives, making it both a strategic backer and a partial peer in co-operative international development.
• International Cooperative Alliance (ICA): Global umbrella organization representing the worldwide co-operative movement across all sectors. While not a direct program deliverer in the same way as CDF Canada, ICA sets standards, disseminates research, and convenes the global co-op community, overlapping significantly on advocacy and policy work.
• Cooperators (The Co-operators Group): Canadian co-operative insurance and financial services group listed as a corporate supporter of CDF Canada. While primarily a financial services firm, Co-operators shares the co-operative governance model and is part of the same Canadian co-operative ecosystem, making it a relevant institutional peer and donor counterpart.

Direct peers

• Co-operative College (UK): UK-based educational charity that delivers international co-operative development training, research, and consultancy. Comparable in mission (co-operative education, research, and international development), organizational scale, and a key like-for-like reference for CDF Canada's training and capacity-building work.
• ACDI/VOCA: US-based international development organization with a long history of cooperative and agribusiness development programs in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. A direct comparator for CDF Canada's integrated agribusiness/co-op model and a frequent co-bidder on donor-funded cooperative development programs.
• World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU): Global trade association and development organization for the credit union movement, with an International Development division operating in dozens of countries. Closely comparable to CDF Canada on the community-banking and credit union capacity-building side of the mandate, and a likely co-implementer on financial inclusion programs.
• Overseas Cooperative Development Council (OCDC): US-based coalition of cooperative development organizations working internationally to build co-ops, credit unions, and democratic enterprises. OCDC is the closest direct peer to CDF Canada in mandate, member base (US co-op sector), and delivery model, providing a near-mirror comparator for the North American co-op development niche.
• NCBA CLUSA (National Cooperative Business Association): US national co-op business association that runs international cooperative development programs (primarily USAID-funded) in addition to domestic advocacy. Directly comparable to CDF Canada in offering an international co-op development delivery platform anchored in a national co-op ecosystem, and a key competitor for institutional development funding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CCAottawa
• Facebookfacebook.com/CDFCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canadian-co-operative-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada